Owh! in San Pao
This artwork by Davis departs from the crowded compositions of his earlier works and moves towards a more simplistic and geometric aesthetic. Owh! In San Paõ features a mix of graphic forms, text, and bold colors that edges closer to pure abstraction. Angular shapes in blue, green, and fuchsia intersect at the center of the canvas, resembling billboards and posters reminiscent of Pop art's fascination with consumer culture and advertising. The influence of Cubism is apparent in the fractured and fragmentary words written in various styles that convey different tones of voice. Davis's use of hot colors and modern slang reflects his love of jazz music.
In his later years, Davis revisited earlier works and favorite motifs to create new images, exemplifying the continuity of pictorial themes and painting techniques in his oeuvre. This painting was inspired by Percolator, a 1927 painting of a coffee pot. The words "else," "used to be," and "now" may signify the passage of time between the two works. Owh! In San Paõ features the coffee pot reduced to a cylinder amidst other lively-colored shapes. The painting was rejected from the Sao Paulo Biennial, which may explain its title.
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